The Fourth and the Heat
I can’t believe how many people still refuse to acknowledge climate change and don’t’ blame the people who caused it I, don’t believe the world is burning because of fossil fuels. They experience fires or floods of huge tornadoes all in unprecedented size and frequency. Do they believe it is caused by their god because of gay marriage or contraception or being even a little bit ‘woke’?
We can’t even work in the garden because of dangerous heat and oppressive tropical humidity. We always solved the problem of heat in summer by going out shortly after we awakened– after coffee but before bath or breakfast. But now nights are not cooling down, so at dawn, it’s still stifling and hot. The biting flies, greenheads and black flies, love this weather. Usually, flies are a nuisance in July at the beaches, but now, they make even the garden and walking impossible. We are hardly alone. On neighborhood websites, people are complaining every day.
Tomatoes are growing well, both the main crops in Woody’s garden, the paste tomatoes in mine and the cherry tomatoes on a fence. Peppers too are happy. Only cucumbers were a total failure. I had started three kinds. We transplanted them in both gardens. Within a week hey keeled over and died, every single one. They had plenty of water and organic fertilizer. Same thing last ear. I think we’ll be giving up on them as we have a lot of other veggies. Too bad. Some years, we actually harvested too many.
This week was unusually social. On Wednesday, Gigi took me to lunch in Ptown at Front Street in its new location, where the Surf Club used to be. I took advantage of Woody’s absence to order fried calamari. (He’s not a fan.) I love to have fried squid once a summer, and this was my opportunity. Then, that evening, my poetry group met here.
Thursday, I roasted a leg of sesame lamb. In the morning, I made a lemon pasta salad and a broccoli salad – the last from our garden. We had a lot this year. Natasha made wonderful appetizers and Bruce made a rhubarb strawberry pie. He’s an incredible baker. Woody anointed him ‘The Prince of Scones.’His scones are the best I’ve had since I was in Cornwall. Woody arranged to pass on some rhubarb the day before. This year besides eating rhubarb and freezing it, we had so much that we also gave some to Nina and Natasha. Last year we had so little, I could only freeze one quart. Gardening is full of mysteries.
Tonight we host Chaim and Theresa. They are bringing pizza from the Flying Fish (my fave) as we don’t feel up to another big dinner right on the heels of John & Bruce, etc. Woody will venture into the garden to pick a salad. Amazing that we still have enough romaine to make one last Caesar salad. We have dessert ready, too: watermelon, Queen Anne cherries, biscotti, and Haagen Daz Dulce de Leche. They’ve just returned from various travels and we look forward to seeing them very much.
Nina and I have started work on a new poetry book. I’ve written many poems since ON THE WAY OUT, TURN OFF THE LIGHT. That came out with a thud in the early days of Covid when there was nobody in the offices at Knopf – everyone scattered to homes. It’s just the bare beginning. It will take a month or two to put the book together. Nina works for me Mondays and Tuesdays. We are just about caught up on all the work that piled up during the 13 weeks I was without an assistant. We’ve sent out many of the poems I wrote during that time.
The 4th of July isn’t a holiday I enjoy these days. Exploding fireworks all day and all night. I’m glad our cats no longer go outside. I have enjoyed the parade many times and even marched in it two or three times. We could watch from Natasha’s on Main Street, but today it is just too damned hot.